Hector Blackwell
Hector Blackwell is a fearsome warrior from Aison, and former member of the Grand Alliance. He fell in love with Viirsa Yuriev and fathered her child Kaisa Blackwell during the Great War. After Kaisa was born and Viirsa perished in the Second Battle of Myridia, Hector rushed into battle and was thought to have perished. He had survived, however, and joined the Grey Cult after the Cataclysm, calling himself Titan based on his old nickname. He has been working with the Cult ever since although his present mission has taken him and Syrese Frostvale all the way to Libaterra to reunite with his daughter Kaisa Blackwell and find a means to bring the deceased Viirsa back to life no matter the cost. Biography Early Years From an early age, Hector Blackwell knew he could be special. That he was a foot taller than his childhood companions by age 12 was a dead giveaway, and his Innate Ability--immense strength--made his specialness even more apparent. Known in his hometown of Torrent as the Titan of Torrent due to his size and strength which reminded people of stories of ancient giants, Hector used his natural and supernatural gifts in an effort to further himself in life. After a couple of failed attempts in modest workplaces, Hector enlisted in the Aisonian army at age 18 and found himself to be a perfect fit. He was stationed in Myridia where he worked several duties for over six years and garnered the respect and admiration of comrades and strangers. Distreyd Era Forming the Fellowship When the army of the Yamato Empire and the Clergy of Mardük led by Admiral Yasuo Fukuda, Zarnagon and Richelieu invaded Aison and daringly assaulted the king's capital in the First Battle of Myridia, Hector helped the citizens flee from the empire's soldiers. During this time he bumped into BoB the Jaguar who had been assigned by King Byron Kagawest himself to find capable people and assemble an avengers strike team to save what could be saved in the ensuing chaos. Hector, BoB and several others gave time for High Justicar Horacio Wizzentromp and other key Aisonian officers to retreat and fortify Eest, and then the motley crew took the civilian refugees to one of the safest places in Aison: the fortified mage school Magestar. Time passed, and the still resisting Aisonians were bombarded every night by horrible nightmares sent by Mardük's high cleric Distreyd Thanadar XII. After months of research, Grandmaster Josiah Amdusias eventually discovered a way with which Distreyd's powerful nightmare magic could be disrupted, which would then give resistance a chance to function properly. Many skilled mages and warriors, Hector included, were included in a team which became known as the Fellowship of Magestar and which was led by the strategist René Iscariot. They were sent to the Roost to locate an ancient Lefeinish artifact, dubbed the Cricket Ball of Magic, with which the fellowship should be able to nullify Distreyd's hold over Aisonians' nightmares. Quest for the Cricket Ball The fellowship travelled to the Roost and eventually made contact with the dragons who lived there. The Dragon Matriarch Katla gave Abel Highwind information on the location of the Cricket Ball, and the fellowship located it soon after but soon faced the wrath of hundreds of bloodthirsty, mutated bunnies sent by the vengeful and cunning rabbit Bunny Ninja Scar. The fellowship also encountered the deranged would-be dragonslayer Drans Grangon but eventually dealt with his morbidly hilarious presence appropriately. The fellowship's travels led them to a coastal village where they eventually were joined by the adventurous merchant Jeremiah Seneron and discovered that the Cricket Ball was unusable in its current state. Because the ball was a Lefein artifact, only a Lefein could unlock its full potential. The problem was where to locate a Lefein in this day and age since all the Lefein were supposed to be gone. However, Abel recalled having once travelled with a Remonian engineer Daventhalas de Mont Hault, who had claimed to be the last living Lefein, before relocating to Aison. Having little else but this scrap of information to rely on, the fellowship decided to sail to Remon where they hoped to locate Daven assuming he was still alive after all these years. Joining the Alliance The fellowship landed in Remon after a lengthy voyage and located Daven's old business partner Dorjan the alchemist who told them that Daven was now travelling with a group known as the Fellowship of Tes Pellaria which consisted of a growing group of supporters of Marcus Sarillius, the true heir to the Remonian throne who wished to drive out the Yamatians. Marcus's fellowship had last been sighted entering Folsworth Woods, and the Aisonian fellowship realized they had to hurry if they wanted to catch Daven before Marcus's forces and the Yamatians would clash. Dorjan sent his apprentice Nicodemus Fowler to act as a guide, and the fellowship travelled south. While entering Folsworth Woods, they came across two women who were being attacked by a hungry wolf. Hector was among the first to go rescue the damsels in distress, and once the threat had been neutralized, the women introduced themselves as Viirsa Yuriev and Shyralis and said they were also seeking Marcus Sarillius's growing rebel force. The fellowship decided to take them in, particularly because they could some women in a group consisting mostly of men. The fellowship eventually reached Sanae, the elven capital where Marcus's forces were negotiating with the elves, and located Daven who began studying the Cricket Ball. Seeing the nobility of Marcus's campaign, the fellowship sided with him and the elves and dwarves, thus creating the Grand Alliance. Hector got acquainted with Viirsa during this time, and the two bonded over the following days as they found much in common with each other. They eventually fell in love and had hot, steamy sex under a tree. Liberating Remon Viirsa was revealed as a spy for the Yamato Empire when Shyralis chose to betray the Alliance on her own accord. Her life was spared, however, once the interrogators found out that her master Varalia Earthhaven possessed Dawn, a magical sword which the Alliance had been seeking. Viirsa was given a choice: she would lead an Alliance task force to Myridia to steal the blade from her master, or she would be executed for treason. Having no other choice, Viirsa accepted the terms and promised to help the group sneak into Myridia. Before they could plan a course of action, Shyralis's Yamatian allies arrived at last and camped near the forest. Marcus decided to take the battle to the Yamatians, not out of any strategic reason but because he wanted to save a fellow Alliance member Axikasha Keiran who got stranded behind enemy lines, and the rest of the Alliance's army had to follow him to keep him from getting killed. The Battle of Folsworth Woods was fierce, but the Alliance survived its baptism by fire and defeated the Yamatians. Having secured its first victory, the Alliance grew more confident and began its campaign to liberate Remon. The forces of Marcus Sarillius won battle after battle and eventually succeeded in taking over Remonton in the First Battle of Remonton. With the capital in Alliance hands, Ax saw it was time to head for Myridia with Viirsa to finally get Dawn. She assembled a team, which included Hector, to accompany her and Viirsa. Hector was devastated by Viirsa's true allegiance and was deeply troubled by it. Yet he couldn't deny his love for her and he couldn't bear seeing her suffer in captivity. He was a soldier, however, and would follow orders even if this was the first time he felt conflicted over anything. He hoped that Viirsa had merely been misled by her superiors and she would redeem herself in the Alliance's eyes once she'd help them secure Dawn. Over the Edge The infiltration of Myridia didn't go well, however. Not only did the heroes face many dangers, Viirsa also discovered that she was pregnant with Hector's child. However, with a bit of skill and a lot of luck, the group of heroes finally gained access to the palace itself. They wandered through the oddly-silent corridors until they found Varalia's quarters. With her allies standing guard outside, Ax crept in, expecting to find a sleeping Varalia...and instead walked in on a horrific scene: the Lady Varalia being violently raped by Kareth d'Zarnagon. Ignoring the elf's cries for help, Ax quickly located Dawn and made her way towards the door. Unfortunately, the bright glow of the blade gave her away, and Zarnagon gave chase. The Palace Guard was alerted as well, slaughtering several of the heroes as they fled. The entire infiltration ended in disaster. As Ax led the last weary survivors out of the palace, they were met by an incredible sight: reinforcements. The bulk of the Grand Alliance had finally come to liberate the capital of Myridia, and just in time. Ax, Hector and a gravely injured Viirsa made their way to the army's white mages, hoping something could be done. With the last of her strength, Viirsa gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Kaisa Blackwell, and died in Hector's arms. Hector was devastated by having lost the love of his life. Years of living under stress and seeing comrades perish and his homeland being subjected to the horrors of war was eventually too much for his strained psyche, and he rushed into battle, not thinking clearly enough to care for his safety. The Second Battle of Myridia was both a victory and a disaster: although the Alliance took over the capital, several prominent heroes died in battle against Zarnagon who, to add insult to injury, managed to evade capture. Hector was one of the people presumed to have perished in the grisly aftermath. The Great War between the Alliance and Yamato continued for a few more years until the Cataclysm struck, ending the war and ushering in an age of isolation between the kingdoms. Rebirth of the Titan Unbeknownst to his Alliance comrades, Hector had in fact survived the battle in Myridia and was nursed back to health by the Grey Cult, a new force which had taken over Aison after the war. The cult also began molding him to become an obedient servant because High Prophet Xerathas d'Zarnagon and Varalia Earthhaven saw Hector's strength as an asset in their campaign to unite the continent under the cult's rule. Hector began calling himself the Titan as he had once been called in his childhood, and he became a fierce champion promoting the Godslayer's cause. Despite the cult's brainwashing, his personality remained mostly intact; his loyalty to his homeland was simply modified to become loyalty to the cult and the Godslayer. He would serve in this capacity for the following years while the cult's hold over the Aisonian continent tightened. He came to know Syrese Frostvale, a researcher working for the cult, and made a deal with her to help her in her research while she would help him in return. Their partnership became a successful one even though their different outlooks did make them clash from time to time. Godslayer Era Return to Prominence Sir Titan, as Hector now called himself, was one of the officers leading the joint assault of the Grey Cult and Totenkopfs on the Magestar. The Magestar masters, when confronting the Titan, were shocked when they saw that such a prominent member of the Grand Alliance was now working for the cult. Titan showed no emotion as he helped subdue the masters, including Master Naberius who had been the first to notice him, and their students and ordered them to be locked up. Meanwhile the cult and their demonic slaves, controlled by magical collars which the Totenkopfs had provided for them, stormed the mage school. The cult's attack was initially successful, and Titan conferred with Xerathas and Varalia about their next course of action. Xerathas and Varalia then went to negotiate with Jonathan Ferron, also a former member of the old Alliance, about a book he desired from the mage school. It was during these talks that the Fellowship of Alent, whom Ferron had betrayed during their earlier adventures on Khrima, showed up through a secret passage and caught everyone by surprise. The fellowship helped set free the imprisoned masters and students, and the fellowship's leader Harrad U'niviel managed to disable the slave collars, thus allowing the cult's former demon slaves to run amok. Magestar descended into chaos, and Varalia disappeared in the resulting battle as the demons turned against their former masters and forced the Grey Cult to flee. Titan ensured that Xerathas could flee to the safety of Myridia as he ordered the army to retreat. The Magestar had prevailed thanks to the fellowship's interference, but the mage school had been heavily damaged, and many lives had been lost on both sides. To add insult into injury, Xerathas regained his senses and made it known that the cult's supposed 'allies', Totenkopfs, had in fact held him under mind control. The attacks on Magestar and Mori'Taure had only been a means to an end for them; to use the Grey Cult as meat shields while they'd steal valuable knowledge from both locations. Xerathas and the cult severed all ties with the Totenkopfs who had betrayed them, and Titan carried out the High Prophet's orders. Aison was now full of freed demon slaves, and the Grey Cult would have to spend considerable time hunting them down, which would prevent them from retaking the Magestar for the unforeseeable future. A Personal Mission After returning from the Second Battle of Magestar, an engagement which had ended disastrously for the cult, Titan approached Syrese Frostvale in the dungeons of Myridia where she conducted experiments on test subjects. He learned that she had made a breakthrough in her research and that the last ingredient she needed was to be found in Alent. Anxious to finish the research, Titan told her to accompany him and help him transport the goods. They traveled to Libaterra posing as merchants, stopping in the city of Reign to resupply and find safe passage into Alent. While in Reign, they visited the ''Crafty Crow inn, hoping to find contacts through whom they could hire people to aid them in their quest. After a meeting with the innkeeper Fehr Sirius, they managed to negotiate a deal for a ship to smuggle them and their cargo as close to Alent as possible, and they also ended up hiring extra hands, Jon Ash and Alton Andresser, to accompany them on their journey. The group ended up hiring the services of the smuggler duo Hans Olo and Chewbacco who helped them and their carge onboard the Chiliad Cormorant, a modified riverboat. The smugglers took them to the borders of the Great Lake from which the group continued their journey towards Alent on foot. They came across another group of merchants, which included Jarral Baffik, his companion Stheno, Craft Lawrence and Holo, and helped them fix their broken wheel. The groups, realizing that they were headed in the same direction, decided to travel together to Alent. As they were about to leave, they also encountered a wounded Alentian messenger. Titan wished for the messenger to just perish so they wouldn't have to deal with yet more distraction, but a slap from Syrese made him back down even though he was annoyed that his elven companion was willing to help heal the stranger. Eventually he saw how he could use both the merchants and the wounde messenger to his advantage to gain an alibi with which he could get into the city through the checkpoint. They eventually reached the gates of Alent and were questioned by the guards. They noticed that citizens and guards alike were tense in the city, as if something bad had happened. Because of a guard's inquiry of the identities of the group members, Titan ended up revealing his true name, Hector Blackwell, to both the guards as well as his companions. It was difficult for him to do so after he had been used to being called Sir Titan for over a decade while serving in the Grey Cult. The group was allowed to enter the city, and they dropped off the wounded messenger at the nearest infirmary before heading to the Garden of Earthly Delights on the suggestion of Jarral to get some refreshments and rest now that their long journey was over. Facing Darkness More info later. Aliases and Nicknames ; Titan of Torrent : A nickname given to Hector by the people of Torrent, based on his immense strength reminiscent of the giants of legend. Appearance 6'8", 280 pounds, slightly grayed black hair, brown eyes, built like a mountain, remarkable physical stamina and strength. Personality and Traits Quiet by nature, Hector prefers to let his actions speak for him. This subtle attitude, combined with his stout loyalty as a soldier first for the Aisonian crown and later to other governments, has earned the respect of peers and officers alike. Likewise, his physical stature provides intimidation in the eyes of his enemies, which he uses to his advantage. Those who see him as all brawn are sorely mistaken. After his indoctrination into the Grey Cult, Hector has adapted the title of Titan and uses it for himself. His behaviour has turned a lot more cold, downright aggressive, and he'll stop at nothing to get the job done even if it means slaughtering anyone who stands in his way. He shows little remorse to anyone not in his close circle, and is more than willing to slaughter unarmed and defeated opponents and intimidate others just to prove his point. Despite this, Hector is still loyal to those who earn his trust or who he considers his family. He'll stop at nothing to keep Kaisa in his life and to bring Viirsa back, even if it means defying death itself and bring the rest of the world to ruin. Powers and Abilities Hector is a skilled warrior who can use not only weapons but also his body in battle. He is feared by many because of his immense strength. Innate Ability: While Hector could count natural strength among his assets, his innate magic enhanced that skill to a dizzying measure. Among other feats, he could shear a block of iron in half with his sword, smash a hole into the earth six inches deep by driving his foot down from a standstill, and lift three to four times his weight (approx. 900-1000 pounds). The rush didn't last long, but it usually provided enough of an edge for victory. He lost his ability after the Cataclysm. Relationships Alton Andresser Hector and Alton get along despite their different loyalties which could bring friction between the two of them. Both are soldiers and understand that the mission comes first and that anyone who jeopardizes is will be considered a liability. Helena the Grey Hector has conflicted feelings towards Helena who turned out to be Viirsa's sister. Helena, likewise, feels just as conflicted as Hector is her niece Kaisa's father and could take away the one person she has come to care for. Despite this, both Hector and Helena have resolved to work together for a common cause for the time being although it remains to be seen how stable this alliance will be once their mission is accomplished. Refan d'Zarnagon Hector and Refan were comrades in the Alliance once, but since the end of the war their paths have diverged. Their reunion in Alent was both surprising and tense, and both made tentative attempts to rekindle the friendship they once had. However, their interests didn't fully align, especially when Hector expressed interest in killing Izael to hurt Shyralis through him while Refan vocally protested about hurting Izael who was one of his last remaining friends. Despite Refan starting to show more and more animosity towards Hector after he realized what sort of people Hector was working with, Hector was willing to tolerate Refan and even listen to his advice from time to time although he did warn Refan not to go too far or he would have to strike Refan down. The two of them parted later, both of them changed by their experiences together. Syrese Frostvale Syrese is one of the few within the Grey Cult who has earned Hector's begrudging respect. She seems to have made some sort of promise to him in the past, and two are currently en route to fulfill it. The details of this promise are currently unknown. The Titan respects Syrese's knowledge, though he often gets annoyed at her tendency to babble. Syrese, in turn, tends to find the Titan's gruffness annoying. Varalia Earthhaven Once Hector and Varalia were enemies but later found themselves on the same side in the Grey Cult after the war. Despite these troubled beginnings, the two have come to view each other as competent soldiers. It was Varalia's tale from her adventures with the new Grand Alliance that prompted Hector to start looking for Kaisa after he learned of the girl's surname being the same as his and having white hair like Viirsa. Viirsa Yuriev Hector was a part of the expansive caravan party which initially crossed paths with Viirsa and Shyralis, and the two slowly developed a mutual attraction as the events preceding the Battle of Folsworth Woods unfolded. The attraction blossomed into love, though it was sorely tested once Viirsa's betrayal to the Alliance was revealed. He sought to defend her from an overly severe punishment, though he also struggled to forgive the omission until her untimely death. When it was decided that the two would be a part of the expedition to recover Dawn in Myridia, they were forced into close company once more, though the relationship would be under considerable strain as the adventure went south. However, when it became apparent that Hector would soon be a father, he relented from his hurt and accepted her remorse. Soon after, Viirsa would lose her life giving birth to Kaisa and, blinded by grief, Hector would re-enter the fray and disappear for some years. Hector eventually resurfaced within the ranks of the Grey Cult, and with the assistance of Syrese Frostvale he strives now to do the impossible: To turn back death and save the woman he loves. See also *Fellowship of Magestar *Helena the Grey *Kaisa Blackwell *Refan d'Zarnagon *Syrese Frostvale *Viirsa Yuriev Category:Aison Category:Characters Category:Grand Alliance Category:Grey Cult Category:Humans Category:Third Age